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Studies on Chopin's Études

Recordings

'Rarely can such a gargantuan task—truly a labour of Hercules—have been accomplished with such strength, grace and agility, with an ease bordering on ...'This is probably the most breathtaking piano recording I’ve ever heard. It’s exceptional, not only for Hamelin’s pianistic perfection—staggering in i ...» More

'There's no doubt about Hamelin's superb artistry, or the extraordinary inventiveness of his programming… Hamelin is the most poetic of virtuoso players and his musical refinement is a constant feature of a recital which includes some extremely di ...» More

Details

The left hand here joins in the sweeping arpeggio figurations, which in the original Étude are confined to the right hand. A truly grand setting which matches the majestic sweep of its model, although rendering it somewhat more turbulent!

This is quite a radical transformation, difficult to recognize at first because of the suppression of the majestic octaves and the elaborate inner voices. All doubt is eliminated at the recapitulation, where the bass emerges plainly and grandly, and the harmonic movement is somewhat simplified.

A rather strict translation from two hands to one, but here Godowsky alters the ghostly mood of the original in favour of something gloomier and darker, simply by prescribing legato for the upper voices.

The first example of many in the series of a free right-hand part superimposed on the original played by the left. A remarkable, fantastic creation, surpassing the uncanniness and mystery of its model, and full of the most heart-stopping difficulties imaginable, not the least cruel of which is the transcriber’s request for pianissimo playing almost all the way through.

A reasonably faithful transformation despite some amount of harmonic alteration along the way, but at least a successful imitation of the original texture, especially at the opening. One of the many instances in which Godowsy’s writing could fool almost any ear in creating the illusion of two-hand writing.

At first this Étude would seem one of the least likely candidates for a left-hand recasting, but Godowsky achieves this goal quite brilliantly, retaining most elements of the model. It goes without saying that there is a multitude of stumbling-blocks here, especially since it is crucial (as in most of the Studies) to retain the full emotional impact of the original.

The respective duties of both hands are here reversed, so that the left ends up with the familiar black-key figuration while the right ‘accompanies’ it chordally. One of the most pianistically accessible of the entire set. (It is safe to assume that any newcomer to Godowsky will find the final contrary-motion octave flourish vastly amusing.)

A transposition to C major enables Godowsky to have the original right-hand figuration played (by the left hand) on the white keys, while a free part babbles away above. The chief problem here is achieving sufficient clarity, since the profusion of inner voices—actually the profusion of notes—is likely to cause some confusion!

A close relative of the previous setting, as far as the basic process used, but what happens in the right hand is sufficiently different to alter the character very subtly towards something more Italianate. This study is also one of the only two examples in the whole series of a modal alteration (i.e. from major to minor—see also Study No 32).

Godowsky’s desire to include all (and I do mean all) of the original’s elements causes this left-hand setting to be one of the most intractable of all, with almost no concession to pianistic comfort. It should however remain, above all, light and carefree.

A very successful and beautifully carried out essay in stylistic transformation. Chopin’s somewhat percussive and motoric right-hand figuration soothes down several degrees to become a gently pulsating accompaniment to a serene melody.

A grandly imposing creation, not as overly hampered melodically as the reversal of hands would at first suggest. Here and in other Studies it is fascinating to observe how the process of inverting the hands leads Godowsky to little feats of originality, in the guise of tasteful alterations to the fabric of the original.

Decidedly more serene than its predecessor. Again Godowsky the illusionist displays his craft to the fullest extent, giving the feeling of two-handed writing. The left hand sweeps and darts about in a fashion not unlike the cadenza in Ravel’s left-hand Concerto or Felix Blumenfeld’s Étude for the left hand, Op 36 (dedicated to Godowsky).

A considerably free exploration and amplification of the anguished original, becoming particularly ghost-like upon its recapitulation. It would have been easy to saturate the texture to a really stifling level, but Godowsky stops just short of that and, with some help from the performer, this transcription can be quite magical.

In this gorgeous but very unusual setting one could speak of a kind of ‘fusion’. Godowsky manages to mesh the essential material of the original with many of the basic motivic elements of the Étude in F minor (Op 25 No 2). These elements fulfil several distinct functions within the transcription: as accompaniment, as commentaries at the ends of phrases and, most ingeniously, as ornamentation around Chopin’s themes (e.g. in the left hand at the very beginning). The myriad double-note passages result in an uncommonly rich utterance, even for Godowsky.

A greatly slowed-down treatment. Despite this, the general mood is somewhat more optimistic. While not actually a polonaise by name, many rhythmic traits inherent to it are present, perhaps foreshadowing the second version of Op 25 No 4 (Study No 32).

This very handsome setting is one of the most profuse, one of the ‘busiest’, but one can only step back and admire Godowsky’s skill at handling his chosen material and at making the many conflicting rhythms mix into a very natural and harmoniously proportioned whole. The structure of the original Étude is not entirely adhered to; the climactic passage just before the coda is an add-on that recalls the second theme, something that Godowsky must have found necessary to achieve formal balance. Also, the constantly changing textures give the impression of a variation set.

Godowsky tones down dynamics in this version, which definitely adds to the difficulties occasioned by the constant rapid displacements the left hand has to negotiate. Also, the constantly running chromatic inner voice adds a considerable amount of harmonic spice.

It is a mystery why Godowsky chose the key of A major for this transcription, since its adoption results in some of the most diabolically awkward writing in the entire series. The chief difficulty is the proper voicing of melody, bass and counterpoint, rendered especially tricky by the necessity of arpeggiating rather quickly, and by Godowsky’s having treated the opening as the beginning of a canon (this also being particularly noticeable in the recapitulation).

The transcriber’s wizardry enables us to find here all the passion and the fury contained in the original, and the blood, sweat and tears needed to convey that to an audience will be obvious to anyone glancing at the score.

Undoubtedly one of Godowsky’s greatest achievements, this supreme transfiguration of the original combines Chopin’s theme in the bass (in the middle of the original figuration) with a right-hand part that features a new theme around which flutters all manner of bewitching arabesques. Although of great complexity, this Study is certainly not out of reach pianistically and its utter poetry amply repays the effort involved in mastering it.

The original running melody is only one of three or four voices constantly present in this highly expressive version. The others are a bass line and a soprano part which sounds not unlike Chopin’s original, though in slower values.

It had to happen: Godowsky would not have been able to resist at least one waltz treatment, since they could be said to represent the core of his entire output (as evidenced by the Walzermasken and Triakontameron collections, the Waltz-Poems and the paraphrases after Johann Strauss). As graceful and nostalgically tinted as could possibly be, this is a remarkable variation of the original, exploiting to the fullest a potential one might not have suspected at first.

A rather peculiar essay in two-against-three playing. The rhythmic irregularity of the secondary voice calls to mind a bizarre sort of rubato. It is rather difficult to determine exactly what Godowsky had in mind here, but musically this Study stands up well, provided the pianist be willing to conquer the horrible awkwardness of the writing.

For most of its length there is an ossia (i.e. an alternative version) to this Study, so that in essence, except for the first page and the last two, we have here again two distinct pieces. I have chosen to record only one (the ossia, overall the simpler of the two) because in the other version Godowsky went slightly overboard, for once losing the freshness of the model. Many of the same features as in other Studies apply here, especially added counterpoint and thicker textures.

Pianists are likely to go into fits upon first sighting this piece, in which all (and more!) of their resources are put to the test. Complete independence of the fingers is a must, as is a secure grasp of what I call ‘keyboard geography’, i.e. a natural ease in quick hand displacements across its surface. Musically, a variety of textures are introduced, and on the whole the tone is less nervous, more lyrical than Chopin’s offering.

One of two extreme examples of stylistic metamorphosis in the series. Not as fatalistically dramatic as, for example, Chopin’s F sharp minor Polonaise, Op 44, but more subdued, and musically closer to Scriabin’s Polonaise, Op 21. The central section of Godowsky’s Study is a major-mode recasting of the entire Étude as a ‘trio’ so that, including the da capo, the original Étude is heard a total of three times.

Clothing Chopin’s creations in such sumptuous textures would be unusual for any other transcriber—with the possible exception of Busoni—but for Godowsky this is entirely natural, and this transcription is one of his loveliest, despite the mutiplicity of double-notes and counter-melodies.

The one other complete stylistic transformation, this time into a gentle and delicious mazurka, despite the minor key. It would be intriguing to know how or why Godowsky even got the idea to do such a thing, but it is enough to enjoy the countless delightful departures from Chopin’s text and to marvel at how utterly recognizable it all is despite every parameter having been radically altered.

As with many of the other left-hand Studies, the frequent quick displacements of the hand render the execution of this piece quite perilous in places, as it is of course not enough merely to play them accurately—one must differentiate everything into something resembling a musical line. A noble, placid vision of the model.

The one that started it all. Not only one of the most faithful to its model, but one which could actually pose as a viable substitute for it. For many pianists such a profusion of left-hand thirds represents a fearsome novelty (especially since they should sound as fluent as if played by the right hand) but, theoretically at least, there is no reason for the left hand to be undercapable. Per aspera, ad astra!

A rare case in which the transcription is less busy than the original. Incredible as it may seem of Godowsky, he chooses here to confine the double-note motion to one hand instead of two, which allows the introduction of a new voice in the treble. Again, somewhat more tranquil than the model.

A treatment similar to No 30 in difficulty. Godowsky’s restraint is admirable here, considering he could very easily have made inner voices much more chromatically slinky, although he does not shy away from some canonical treatment!

Although puzzling at first, the decision to eschew the original octaves is a logical one. Godowsky saw how pointless it would have been to revert to a simple octave treatment, so he opted instead for something of a more musically purposeful nature, allowing himself yet again the opportunity to display his unique brand of harmonic thinking, especially in the extended middle section.

A more cataclysmic amplification of Chopin’s already stormy tone-poem would be hard to imagine. With myriad doublings and added voices, Godowsky brings everything to the brink of saturation. It is therefore amazing to see how clear and clean all of it still is (or should be!). It will come as no surprise that this kind of writing presents mountainous challenges which require most notably a great deal of dynamic power and total finger independence. Incidentally, the metronome marking is completely unreasonable—something that most of the other Studies do not suffer from—and is much better suited to the model than to the transcription.

A kind of fusion of Chopin’s three-against-four texture into an unbroken line of quavers. The character is not significantly altered. Perhaps the most pianistically accessible of these Studies, playable even by amateurs.

A true marvel. The first sixteen bars of the model (here metrically reduced to eight) are the subject of four hyperflorid, beautifully complex variations, all totally different in their rhythmic intricacies—the closest relative to this transcription, although in fact very different, is Henry Cowell’s short piano piece Fabric. Godowsky’s level of inspiration reaches new heights in this setting, especially in the last section, where a gorgeous countermelody soars above the main music. The seamlessness of this Study artfully conceals the toil and trouble necessary to its proper assimilation by the pianist.

A very slight reduction in tempo turns this Étude into a minuet, although because of additional voices and articulational intricacies it becomes quite difficult to give it the required elegance, feeling as it does like a one-person pup­pet show with thirty-seven characters all on stage at once.

This brilliant jeu d’esprit, carved out in the very best of taste, unfortunately provided the best argument for those who, over the years, have found Godowsky’s reworkings sacrilegious. It seems quite plain to me that such a fantastically clever feat of combinatorial wizardry could only have been achieved by somebody with a truly profound knowledge and love of his chosen material. To me it can only inspire admiration.

This transcription does not quite exhibit the same level of ingenuity as the one preceding it, but this does not in the least detract from the fact that this last Study is musically very handsome, almost angelic in places, and provides anyone gluttonous enough to listen to the entire series in one sitting with a comforting sense of closure.